Freezing rain cuts snow total, not road dangers in southern Indiana

More than one inch of snow fell in the late afternoon near Scottsburg, before transitioning to freezing rain and sleet that forced drivers to cut their speed in half on Interstate 65.

Tim Rouse

John McClelland

McDonald's employees shoveled the parking lot.

SCOTTSBURG, IN (WAVE) - Heavy snow transitioned to freezing rain early Tuesday evening in southern Indiana, shrinking the total snowfall amount but not the danger to drivers.

Police departments and tow truck operators said the calls for help began as soon as the storm rolled into the region.

"When you get through with one, there's another one waiting on you," said Tim Rouse of Julian Towing, as he cleared a car stuck in the median in Austin, Ind. "We haven't seen any serious ones yet -- that's a good thing."

More than one inch of snow fell in the late afternoon near Scottsburg, before transitioning to freezing rain and sleet that forced drivers to cut their speed in half on Interstate 65.

Some drivers, like John McClelland, drove with their flashers on as the freezing rain continued for several hours.

"It's bad," McClelland said, as he chopped ice from his windshield at a gas station. "I want to make sure I'll be able to see. It's bad out there. People just need to be safe."

Other drivers spun their tires in frozen parking lots, while plow truck drivers scrambled to keep up with the storm.

Dylan Campbell, a McDonald's employee, was shoveling the parking lot instead of his usual job of making French fries.

"I'm very surprised actually, I didn't think it was going to get this bad," Campbell said.

Campbell said his manager decided to close at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, while other restaurant managers let employees who lived on rural roads leave early to get home safely.